Solána Imani Rowe never ceases to amaze us. In a recent interview with British Vogue as their December cover star, we got to learn more about our queen and what makes her her. The multi-dimensionality is unreal. It’s one of the things Kendrick Lamar loves about SZA.
He told British Vogue, “Her vulnerability through her music is brave and inspiring. She’s a reminder of what the human experience looks like: a roller-coaster of emotions. And that’s okay. We are alive.”
In her lyrics, SZA often oscillates between contrasting emotions and contradictory statements, creating a stream of consciousness that encompasses both love and hate so this interview reflected that same energy. Ahead, find the seven gems we took away from the much-needed feature.
1.SZA Gets Real About Her BBL
SZA got extremely candid about her decision to get a BBL. In early 2022, she began a rigorous gym routine, swiftly gaining muscle mass. However, despite her progress, the growth of her gluteal muscles lagged behind, presenting a unique challenge in her fitness journey.
"I’m so mad I did that shit," she said.
SZA continued, "I gained all this weight from being immobile while recovering and trying to preserve the fat. It was just so stupid. But who gives a fuck? You got a BBL, you realise you didn’t need the shit. It doesn’t matter. I’ll do a whole bunch more shit just like it if I want to before I’m fucking dead because this body is temporary. It just wasn’t super necessary – I have other shit that I need to work on about myself…
"I need to get my fucking mental health together… Not to say you can’t do those things simultaneously, just, for me, I realise wherever you go, there you’ll be. But I love my butt. Don’t get me wrong. My booty look nice. And I’m grateful that it looks pretty much… I don’t know, sometimes natural, but I don’t even care. It’s something that I wanted. I’m enjoying it. I love shaking it."
2.SZA Takes An Aura-Altering Baño Blanco
Also known as a white bath, this act is used to cleanse negative energies. As PopSugar suggests, a baño blanco, apart from purifying negative energy, is a wonderful method to achieve inner peace and tranquility. This baño might be ideal for you if you have trouble sleeping. Think of it as a soothing lullaby in bath form. Hence, it serves as an excellent introduction to spiritual baths for children. The gentle and comforting touch of this baño will calm their souls and gently usher them into dreamland. Simply mix the baño blanco into warm bathwater and let them absorb all the benefits.
3.SZA Suffers From Severe Anxiety
SZA’s manager and Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) label president Terrence Henderson Jr, better known as Punch shares the intricacies of performing at a festival like British Summer Time Hyde Park (BST Hyde Park.) The music festival held once a year in London's Hyde Park lasts for up to three weeks.
"When you do a festival, it’s so much shared space… different crews, different teams, you don’t know who’s who." On her own tour, she’ll "come out, mingle and talk to everybody. She’ll usually pull fans back. With a festival… she’ll usually get off stage and go straight to the hotel."
When labelmate Kendrick Lamar first met the star, he recalls her being a "shy yet outgoing individual who was open for information but always had a question about something. At present, he shares, "I recognize a more expressive SZA. The shy shit is completely out the window – to a degree, at least. She has the answers to some of the things she was curious about and is willing to tell it all in the most disruptive yet beautiful compositions this generation has ever heard."
4.SZA Is Really A Nature Girly
In a moment of reflection during the interview, gazing upon a vibrant purple flower, she fights back tears. "Nature just be naturing and we don’t even know why. It’s so weird, and so bizarre, and magical, and so great. It’s such a reminder: this shit is completely out of your control. As she sees it, the weeds are doing their part and they’re part of the larger landscape.
"They don’t get to choose if they’re a fucking tulip or a tiger lily or a dandelion." Homegirl also admitted to talking to everything. "I talk to plants. I talk to energies… I try to greet them. I leave an offering."
5.SZA Questions If She’s Done With Music
"Every day I grapple with, 'Am I done with music?' Maybe I’m just not meant to be famous – I’m crashing and burning and behaving erratically. It’s not for me because I have so much anxiety. But why would God put me in this position if I wasn’t supposed to be doing this? So I just keep trying to rise to the occasion. But I’m also just like, 'Please, the occasion is beating my ass.'"
6.SZA is Here For Her Day Ones
She relies on her "day-one fan pages" to provide feedback and keep her informed about online discussions. The singer struggles with the impersonality of being a public figure and the constant scrutiny and criticism she faces, including being labeled as a whisper artist and having her musical style pigeonholed.
7.SZA Dresses as A Mood
Whether comfortable or ethereal or intellectual, she’ll always choose moods over a specific look. Her longtime stylist, Alejandra Hernandez said, "[Her style] is very similar to her music: a mix of so many different genres."
As a "child of nature," SZA embraces a bohemian style that's currently making a comeback, thanks to Chloé's new direction under Chemena Kamali. While the boho look is often seen as Eurocentric, there's always been a Black hippy movement. We learned that even though SZA loves Maison Margiela, Valentino, and indie labels such as Ottolinger, "she always comes back to vintage: old Tom Ford or Roberto Cavalli; polo rugbys, cargos and oversized Obama tees."
Read the full cover story here.
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Featured image by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
